"Am I interrupting something?"
Mateo's voice cut through the charged silence. Maya stepped back from Ethan quickly, heart hammering.
"No," Ethan said, voice rough. "We were just talking."
Mateo's eyes moved between them, reading the tension in the air. "Looked like more than talking."
He saw us. How much did he see?
"What do you need, Mateo?" Ethan's tone was carefully controlled.
"Coach is looking for you. Wants to discuss the lineup for next game." Mateo's gaze lingered on Maya. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
He left, but the moment was broken. The bubble that had formed around them shattered.
Maya turned away, hands shaking. What was I thinking? He's leaving tomorrow. I'm leaving tomorrow. None of this matters.
"Maya—"
"Don't." She couldn't look at him. "Don't say whatever you're about to say."
The silence after Ethan's confession was unbearable. Maya could still hear the tremor in his voice, the shock of his own words hanging between them like something alive.
